


The Old Star-eaten Blanket of the Sky

by foam_memory, Prozaco



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Dante is from the game, Dante just loves Vergil so bad it hurts, Dark Past, Domestic Fluff, Evil Dante, Human Vergil, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Parallel Universes, Romance, Schmoop, Snow, They all lost their own brother, Used to be
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:47:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29920536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foam_memory/pseuds/foam_memory, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prozaco/pseuds/Prozaco
Summary: Vergil encountered Dante in that winter dusk.The title is from T.E. Hulme's poem, which captures the mood of a 'Fallen Gentleman' looking up the sky. I found this description perfectly suits the Dante in this work.His personality is more like the one in DMC2 rather than DMC5, which is cold, mature, and quiet. He has been through a lot in this fic and eventually falls as an 'evil guy', and everybody despises him, except Vergil, who lives as a human for his whole life.He knows nothing and has nothing, magic, the Yamato, the dark past (he actually has, but a totally different one), nothing. When Vergil finds out the truth, what will he react to it?
Relationships: Dante/Vergil (Devil May Cry)
Kudos: 8





	The Old Star-eaten Blanket of the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> All the kudos goes to @Prozaco as she gives this work life! Thank you my dear Beta! <3333
> 
> I just want everybody to feel warm after reading this.  
> Wish you have a nice day, my friend.;)

Vergil encountered Dante in that winter dusk.

Actually, ‘encounter’ shouldn't be a suitable word, for Vergil met him too many times. No one could ‘encounter’ a person many times on the same road on the same day, which sounds a little bit weird.

It’s indeed weird, but ordinary people shouldn’t notice it anyway. Only because he was Vergil, he knew that if he heard a sudden patter sound from the corner he just passed by, it was not from a stray cat that runs away.

Or, the fact was actually no big difference.

This ‘stray cat’ had followed Vergil all the way from his company to home. He hid in the alleys of his path and behind shop windows, stayed on the top of the upcoming subway, stepped over the glass tiles of every skyscraper. Vergil knew it all the time, just pretending not to care. Curious, maybe.

When Vergil was about to get home but suddenly pulled into a dark alley with a sharp blade near his neck, he wasn’t too surprised. He was so used to this. Vergil was pressed against the wall with an utterly insensitive force, which made Vergil frowned.

He looked at the person and saw a pair of blue eyes that were alert but somewhat warm. The guy seemed wanted to swallow him whole with those menacing icy blue eyes. Vergil couldn’t tell whether this was because he hated him so much, or for just the opposite reason.

"You don't look surprised." The other person's tone was cold and oppressive. _Interesting._

Vergil smiled and raised his hand, which made the man’s body stiffen instinctively. Vergil didn’t ask for a fight but point to the house behind instead, which was his home.

"Want to stop by?" Vergil's tone was light and playful. "I can get you a cup of coffee."

The shocked look on the other person’s face was quite funny, so Vergil believed his little show succeeded.

***

_Clang_. When Vergil showed up wrapped in a light blue blanket and actually putting the coffee in front of Dante, Dante kept staring at it. Vergil sat on the other side, stirred his coffee and took a sip. Rationally, he had consumed too much caffeine today, but Vergil didn’t care.

It seemed like the man was too confused to say anything, so Vergil started the conversation. "Are you the Dante from other universes?" Vergil took a few sips of coffee before he quietly spoke. Hearing this, Dante jerked his head and narrowed his vigilant eyes.

Vergil examined the person in front of him: This Dante was much more mature and colder than those he had met before. No matter what universe they were from and what attitude they chose towards Vergil, his younger brothers always looked cynical and sassy, even arrogant, which was Dante's characteristic. This Dante was different, though. Instead of classifying him as any of his brothers’ type, Vergil better abandoned those thoughts quickly. His brother should not be defined by any words.

"This universe is very different, isn’t it?" Vergil waited for a while, but hearing nothing from Dante. Vergil had to continue. "It looks so...mediocre. Maybe because it's so different, there’re all kinds of you visiting with pure curiosity."

"I can show you around if you want, but only on weekends. Unfortunately, I have work today and tomorrow, so you may need to explore it yourself first. You’re welcomed to stay at my house, don’t worry."

"What's different in this world?" Dante finally said something. He didn't drink a drop of the coffee, sitting upright with clenched fists, eyes fixing on Vergil. His body language told that he’s ready to act as if Vergil would draw a weapon to attack at any second, and he needed to fight back.

Vergil realized this traveler wasn’t friendly. He had met all kinds of Dante; some are young and lively, while others are mature and with their brothers. As for this Dante, he looked pretty dull and shut down, like a lone wolf who had to on alert all the time. _He must have been wandering for too long, poor one_. Vergil thought melancholy.

What’s your story? How did you suffer, cry, and have to leave everything behind in the end?

Yet, he was Dante after all, and Vergil knew he wouldn’t be the first to attack, so Vergil didn’t feel overwhelmed. "Um...completely different." Vergil casually changed his sitting posture. He just changed into a black turtleneck sweater. The blanket waved between his shoulders and arms as Vergil moved, which looked very warm. "For example, your universe in here is just a game."

"My brother wrote it. He was the author and the producer of the Devil May Cry series."

When Vergil finished, he looked down and took another sip of coffee, waiting for Dante to register the information. Vergil admitted that it wasn’t something easy to accept, so he just waited patiently. Sometimes the coffee was too hot, and then Vergil would blow the white smoke rising from it, both slender hands holding the cup. He looked over the window and saw the gloomy weather.

 _It's going to snow._ A part of Vergil thought.

"The Dante who belongs to you," The man across the table finally spoke, and he sounded well-thought-out. When Dante said this, his eyes darkened a bit, dark tide surging in them. Vergil turned his head back. "Where is he now?"

Vergil raised his eyebrows. This was really rare. Instead of keep asking about the details of this universe, the traveler asked where Vergil’s brother was. Why was he curious about that? Was he interested in himself in this parallel world? Was there anything to be interested in? Vergil couldn't conjecture, but this Dante said it with a solemn look.

 _Where is he now?_ This guy apparently didn’t get the hint. Vergil smiled. "He's been dead for a long time," Vergil said this without much emotion in it, as if he was just talking about a fact.

Dante was stunned again. He stared at Vergil and blinked.

***

"...Oh," Dante replied, bending over to get the coffee on the table. This was the first time he took his gaze away from Vergil after he stepped into the house. "My brother is also dead," Dante said like it didn't matter.

"Are you certain about that?" It’s not the first time that Vergil heard about this, and he was accustomed to those gazes of the travelers. "From my experience, no Vergil is really dead. You can wait until the day he comes back in the future."

"He's dead," Dante said coldly. Vergil could tell that he didn't like the topic, but Dante explained anyway. "His soul was totally scattered, and the Yamato shattered to iron powder. I killed him by myself and there’s no turning back."

 _Ah._ It’s Vergil’s turn to be in surprise. Dante stopped looking at him but stirred his coffee instead, staring at it as if he had any grudges towards a cup. "…I'm sorry to hear that."

Dante laughed a bit when he heard Vergil saying this. This was the first time he had laughed since he came here. "It’s too weird for you to say that." Dante felt a sense of dislocation. He shook his head with a smile still on his face, looking up from his coffee cup.

"This you...are weird," Dante concluded.

They always said that, saying he was weird. Vergil understood where that opinion coming from as well. After all, he had also seen himself from other worlds, some of them coming with their Dantes, while others experiencing sort of accidents. Those Vergils were arrogant, indifferent, and disdainful. Looking from this perspective, he was indeed different from the others.

But actually, he had been the same. "I am in my forties this year," Vergil tilted his head and explained. "If I still talk like that, it would be too naïve and ridiculous in a real world."

He had been surprised too when his brother designed him like that as a game character. ‘ _This is typical of you. Don’t you remember what you did when you at school? Even the principal was afraid of you. You definitely should be a villain in my game_.’ His brother once said with a grin, clasping his arms around Vergil’s neck and pointing at the character on the computer, ‘ _It’s so cool! You’re definitely the coolest in the game, and you’ll have tons of devoted fans. Oh well, not as popular as me, of course._ ’

The memory was like old photos, yellowing as time passed by. It was a long time ago.

"If you come to the court one day to see me, probably you’ll get a clear picture," Vergil added. "I’m a lawyer here."

"Lawyer..." Dante sighed, as if he never thought these two elements could be connected. His elder brother, a lawyer. "So you talk a lot?"

"I’m more evidence-based. You know, I don't like talking nonsense," Vergil said. Dante smiled again and nodded. "Basically, standing there is enough for me to scare most lawyers."

Dante was still smiling and leaned back to the sofa. "I can imagine," Dante said, taking a sip of coffee. He immediately frowned, stared at the cup unhappily, and threw it back on the table.

 _He still has a sweet tooth. No matter what changes, it always stays the same_. Vergil commented inside and smiled. Vergil had seen his brothers act like this so often, but he still thought this kind of naivety was cute.

Then they fell silent again, this time more relaxed. Dante looked around the whole house while Vergil closed his eyes to rest. He had been busy all day.

"So?" Vergil felt that he had enough rest and it was time to get back to work. He opened his eyes and stood up, putting the coffee cup in the sink. "What’s your decision? Do you want to stay with me for a while?"

Dante looked at him and was silent for a while. "I do," Dante replied.

Outside the window, snowflakes started to fall. This was the first snow in this winter. With tenderness, delicacy, and cautiousness without coldness, the snow quietly landed on the roof of every house.

***

Though Vergil let Dante hang out himself, Dante had other thoughts. Vergil could sense that Dante always followed him when he was at work, not too close, but not too far either. Vergil didn’t know whether it’s because Dante didn't trust him or this Dante lost his own brother, so he wanted to stay with Vergil more. Vergil didn't mind the reason. He enjoyed the time Dante wanted to be with him.

If he was in the office, Vergil would even knock the glass window to signal Dante to come down: Dante always hid on the platform of the building in a way that Vergil couldn’t understand, but he didn't overthink it. This Dante wasn’t something that could be constrained by gravity. Dante always appeared instantly, head upside down, hair wind-swept, which looked really funny.

Vergil handed him the coffee cup, but Dante kept shaking his head until Vergil gave him chocolate instead. "If you want to have some sundae, we can go to the McDonald's across the road when I can take a rest," Vergil said. Dante cast him a strange expression and silently accepted the chocolate. He struggled for a long time to eventually murmur a thank you to Vergil and quickly fled back, so fast that Vergil couldn’t see it clearly.

 _Who knows what kind of life he lived before he came to see me._ Vergil thought, putting on his glasses and back to work.

At the weekend, Vergil finally had time to accompany his guest. Vergil knocked on the door of the guest room, indicating that it was time for breakfast. Dante was all dressed up when he opened the door, while Vergil casually peeked at the room. All the beddings were on check and neat as new. What a good Dante he was.

Dante stared at the omelets made by Vergil, then looked at Vergil. He did that back and forth several times, seemingly hesitant to talk. Vergil let him do that. This was not the first Dante he took in. The travelers were too used to suffer from their brothers, so they were scared to receive a simple kindness. Vergil didn’t blame them.

That’s all Vergil could do anyway. Even if he wanted to fight with his brother, who should be his target? Travelers came and go, returning to their own brothers, while Vergil's house was empty for most of the year. If a traveler wanted to stay longer, Vergil would always be in a better mood.

"...It’s good," Dante nervously commented with his head down, didn’t know what to say.

"I know I’m not good at it." Usually Vergil didn’t have such patience and time to cook. "You never know what a delicious food taste like anyway."

According to the plan, Vergil would show Dante around today to see how different the world was. He had already figured out where to go. Vergil loved to sort things out beforehand, while his brother only did things by instinct. "You really should buy some new clothes," Vergil said. "Now you look like a cosplay player. You may attract attention along the way."

"Don't bring any weapons. It’s safe here." Hearing this, Dante narrowed his eyes. Vergil sensed his rapidly changing mood and decided to compromise. "Sure. You can bring a gun, but don't just take it out."

"My clothes are good." Dante was still upset as Vergil locked the door, saying, "My universe is also modern setting. I didn't stay in the hell for my whole life. Most of the time, I was in the human world."

Vergil took out the car key and opened the garage door. "Even in one world, cities can be totally different, let alone universes," Vergil explained. Dante made an impatient voice, "It doesn't matter if you don't want to change, don’t worry. I won't force you."

However, Dante shut up, and he gazed at Vergil from behind, looking even more at a loss.

Vergil lived in a metropolitan, so traffic jams were ordinary in his daily life. Vergil smiled when he saw Dante’s sullen look on his face. "You’ll be caught by the police if you ride a motorcycle over all the car roofs here. Just saying." Other Dantes had already suggested this.

"It’s the same in my world." Dante talked back. He was still sulking about the little argument they had just now. "I just don't care, and they don't dare to try."

Indeed. Vergil thought about the settings in his brother's game. "Sounds like you."

"And you, you have lost all your personality here, Vergil," After another 10 minutes, Dante commented coldly, "become a one as boring as anyone else. You don’t sound like _you_. "

Vergil stared at Dante for a while and chuckled. "This world is just thrilling in a different way," Vergil said, "You don't feel it, because you haven't stayed long enough."

"So you cut all your edges only to survive in this ‘really thrilling world’? Wow."

Vergil narrowed his eyes. Dante was provoking, which was exactly what his brother would do. When he turned his head to look at Dante, the traveler stared at him intently, waiting for his next move. He seemed to expect a fight.

"...If you think so, so be it," Vergil eventually just said, restarting the car as the road was clear. "My world surely doesn’t have too many catastrophe and apocalypse. You must feel bored."

He didn't want to explain to him. Vergil was always too lazy to explain, argue, and talk endlessly to make his argument clear. Unless he had to talk at work, Vergil remained silent for the rest of the time. Vergil didn't want to explain to this Dante the cruel part of this world. Dante only needed to see the beauty as a tourist, even if he couldn’t understand it.

"Then I’ll stay longer." Dante suddenly said. Vergil blinked with surprise."Let me see what makes you become like this; what is that thrilling you’re really talking about."


End file.
